Dino Saga 070805 _ Leather or …

Dino Saga 070805 _ Leather or …

Omgjon is personally doing the leather work on his Dino and picking material to his own desires. Not agonizing over duplicating original materials. Man after my own heart. Got to thinking about what I will have to do when I finally redo my dash.

I have seen a number of attempts to dye the hairless mouse hair and the dying destroys the subtle effects of the graining. Actually, I like the hairless material just fine and have found that it has not faded substantially in the 21 years I have kept the car. Most of that time outside without a cover. I do the Murphy’s Oil Soap treatment twice a year and that keeps things stable. Wish I knew what the dash material is. It soaks up water like real leather and spots like suede. The Oil Soap removes all water spots and stains just like it does on suede.

Bottom line is that the dark grey grained satin finish is pretty good as an anti-glare material. Certainly much better than the graining on the molded dashes on popular cars. And better than finely finished glove leather.

I’ve looked at lots of materials. Have had many chairs re-upholstered for the club. Automotive upholstery shops are the only places to look. Had a sectional couch done in an unusual suede like material that had a subtle graining that looked very natural. In black it would probably look pretty good. Took a few pictures to get an idea.

It is easy to find the original color and material. Just open the glove compartment. Boy was that stuff black. And the fibers pretty well hid the graining underneath. As anti reflective as black velvet. The trouble with anything that black is that it stands out like a sore thumb. A little bit of reflectivity blends things together into a harmonious whole.

The bald dash was shot with back light and in the shade. Not bad with either lighting. The sofa was shot the same way, with and without back lighting. The sofa fur is about the same length as the mouse hair but the grain pattern is much larger. Does not take much of a set when stroked. That would be good on a dash where whatever you have should stay still. Final shots are of the suede chair I am sitting on as I type this. Have no idea whether real or not but sits well and has a pretty good non glare finish. No graining but the stuff takes a set when you move your hand across it.

Funny that the biggest problem I have is that the threads are giving up on me. Maybe I will just have things stitched back up and go for a few more years. In the meantime I can’t wait to see what Jon decides. Whatever it is, it will look pretty good. Finished leather everywhere but top of the dash. I am sure he will show us the imported material when it shows up.

Update on Zaca fire: Dumped tons of ash on SB Friday. Took 3 hours for 2 guys to clean up the pool and deck. I was one of the guys and it was not fun. What a mess!

John
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